CA supports sport for all concept

Cricket Australia has hosted the first official meeting of the National Sport Inclusion Alliance (NSIA), a group charged with promoting inclusion and participation across all sporting codes.

The initiative brought together representatives from cricket, AFL, tennis, netball and other sports including hockey and basketball with an eye to ensuring Australian Sport truly reflects the community in which it takes place.

Cricket Australia’s Senior Manager for Community Engagement, Sam Almaliki, says the timing couldn’t have been better for the summit. 

“Our involvement with the alliance coincides with an exciting time for Australian Cricket as we reach the final stages of developing a strategic framework for female, Indigenous, multicultural and disability cricket,” he said.

“We didn’t think twice (about) sponsoring and supporting this first historic meeting of the alliance.”

The NSIA was first launched in 2013 by Australian Sports Commission CEO, Simon Hollingsworth and Wayne Bird, president of AUSRAPID, an organisation that works with the sporting industry to increase opportunities for people with an integration disability.

AUSRAPID CEO, Robyn Smith, lauded the decision to host the first meeting of the committee at Cricket Australia.

“It is very fitting conducting the first NSIA meeting at Cricket Australia as they have been one of AUSRAPID’s strongest partners and lead the way on inclusion.” Smith said.

As sport participation continues to rise in Australia, it is hoped more codes will follow Cricket Australia’s lead and join the NSIA initiative.